The Messenger

As a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world, to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan’s survival. What begins as a classic action platformer soon unravels into an expansive time-traveling adventure full of thrills, surprises, and humor.

The Messenger is a retro, platformer and pixel graphics game developed by Sabotage and published by Devolver Digital.
Released on August 30th 2018 is available only on Windows in 10 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese - Brazil and Russian.

It has received 11,380 reviews of which 10,619 were positive and 761 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. 😍

The game is currently priced at 19.50€ on Steam.

The Steam community has classified The Messenger into these genres:

Retro Platformer Pixel Graphics Metroidvania Ninja 2D Great Soundtrack Indie Action 2D Platformer Singleplayer Funny Action-Adventure Difficult Time Travel Adventure Side Scroller Comedy Beautiful Epic

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at The Messenger through various videos and screenshots.

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Requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows

OS *: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or newer (64 bit)
Processor: Intel core i5-4210 1.7ghz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4400
Storage: 1200 MB available space
Sound Card: Onboard soundcard or better

Reviews

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Sept. 2024

I have a deep respect for studios that have carved out their niche and become masters of their craft. Sabotage Studio is a prime example of creating a product that needs no marketing; it's the kind of game that can be sold with just a few words exchanged between friends or a recommendation on Reddit—and just like that, another copy is sold. The Messenger has many strengths, but its crowning achievement is its undeniable charm. The game never takes itself too seriously, which is evident in its bizarre conversations with the shopkeeper and a narrative that endlessly breaks the fourth wall. It brims with playful references to 8-bit games from the Sega Mega Drive era, a lightness of spirit, and a certain slyness in its setting. In many ways, The Messenger can be compared to the 2011 Oscar-winning film The Artist , which didn’t simply rehash silent film tropes but captured the era’s true spirit. Similarly, Stranger Things doesn’t exploit 80s nostalgia but lovingly recreates the mood and feel of the time. These kinds of projects don’t just imitate the originals—they’re better versions, and that’s why they resonate. Mechanically, the game strikes a delicate balance. The difficulty ramps up at just the right pace—not too fast, not too slow. There’s room for exploration, and overcoming obstacles feels rewarding. The game will appeal to casual players who might have been intimidated by the hardcore difficulty of games like Celeste , while still offering plenty to those who enjoy a challenge. All the ingredients are thoughtfully chosen, perfectly balanced, and executed with care. It’s an excellent game, one you can confidently recommend.

Aug. 2024

Pros: -Artstyle direction is great. -Amazing OST -Fun and rewarding platforming that can get hard but never unfair -Characters aren't too story-driven but makeup with amazing humor. -8bit to 16bit gimmick is brilliant -You get a free DLC Cons: -You're still reading the review and haven't bought the game. Just go buy it, it's honestly an amazing game! 10/10

June 2024

~ DIFFICULTY ~ 🔲 My 90-year-old grandma could play it 🔲 Easy ✅ Normal 🔲 Hard 🔲 Dark Souls 🔲 Understanding Dark Souls' story ~ GRAPHICS ~ 🔲 MS Paint 🔲 Bad 🔲 Meh 🔲 Graphics don't matter in this game 🔲 Good (nothing special) ✅ Beautiful 🔲 Masterpiece ~ MUSIC ~ 🔲 Bad 🔲 Not special 🔲 Good 🔲 Beautiful ✅ Masterpiece ~ Gameplay ~ ✅ Try not to get addicted 🔲 Very good 🔲 Good 🔲 Nothing special 🔲 Bad 🔲 very Bad ~ Audience ~ 🔲 Kids ✅ Teens ✅ Adults ~ STORY ~ 🔲 Not important in this kind of games 🔲 Bad 🔲 Text or Audio floating around ✅ Average 🔲 Good 🔲 Lovely ~ PRICE ~ 🔲 Free 🔲 Cheap ✅ Acceptable price 🔲 Could be cheaper 🔲 Overpriced 🔲 Complete waste of money ~ REQUIREMENTS ~ ✅ You can run it on a microwave 🔲 Potato pc 🔲 Average 🔲 High end 🔲 NASA computer ~ LENGTH ~ 🔲 Very Short (0 - 4 hours) 🔲 Short (4 - 10 hours) ✅ Average (10-30 hours) 🔲 Long (30-50 hours) (if you go for everything in the game) 🔲 Extremely long (50-100+ hours) 🔲 No ending ~ FUN ~ 🔲 I'd rather watch paint dry 🔲 Hard to enjoy 🔲 Repetitive 🔲 Actually pretty amusing 🔲 The kind of fun you'll remember ✅ Ride of your life ~ REPLAYABILITY ~ 🔲 It's a one-time experience ✅ Only for achievements 🔲 If you wait a few months/years 🔲 tens of times 🔲 Definitely 🔲 Infinitely repayable ~ Bugs ~ ✅ Never heard of 🔲 Minor bugs 🔲 Can get annoying 🔲 ARK: Survival Evolved 🔲 the game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ~ WORTH BUYING ~ 🔲 No 🔲 Wait for sale ✅ Yes

May 2024

The Messenger is a truly great game. The platforming and combat are the most fluid and satisfying I've experienced in a long time, and the writing is somehow both intriguing and hilarious (though I do feel that the game sometimes undercuts itself by not taking its own plot very seriously). Plus, there is a core twist that players will discover in the middle that completely re-contextualises how the game is played, which only deepened my appreciation for the experience. Anyone looking for a great platformer can't go wrong here.

May 2024

The Messenger stylishly nails a retro aesthetic, but is extremely modern and refined in it's game design. The platforming feels wonderful, and Sabotage add many elements which give platforming sections more challenge and fit incredibly well together. The boss fights are another strong part of the game, they're well designed and have a good level of challenge, but also reward those with mastery over the platforming mechanics. The writing is often comedic and lands well. I feel that The Messenger is a game that's better if you go in completely blind, and it's quite easy to spoil so I'll leave it there. I highly recommend The Messenger to any fans of platforming games - it's one you'll certainly remember. Highly Recommended If you found my review helpful, please consider following my [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44234346/]Steam Curator page , where you can see more thoughts and recommendations

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